thecrump

Hebrews 9:22b "...without shedding of blood there is no remission."

Context is very important for most everything in life. When we understand the background of our friend and family then we understand a little more why they do what they do. When we take a moment and reflect on current trends in the culture we can get a grasp on why society acts the way it does. The same is true with the Bible. We must understand the context around what is happening so that it makes sense.

While I was unable to see the History Channel miniseries "The Bible", the one critique I heard about it was that it lacked context. The context in question was the purpose for all the stories of the Bible. After all, without knowing why Noah built the Ark (as a picture of our coming salvation); why Abram was called by God (in order to set apart a holy people from where Messiah would come) or why Isaac was placed on the altar (as a picture of the coming sacrifice of God's Son) we lose the context of the New Testament.  These pieces of history become random stories of people who interacted with God...for no apparent reason (or for reasons so minuscule they cause us to scratch our heads) .

But there is something greater at work in these stories...

In Hebrews the author quotes Leviticus stating that there is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. This truth is foundational in understanding the reason for Israel's sacrifices.  If this context is lost then the Israelites were simply beastly people who slaughter animals for a God they followed. BUT, when we understand it in context, these men and women needed to get right with God because of their sin and the perspiration was to shed the blood of a lamb.  Of course, the greater context is the found in what the blood of the lamb represents...the Lamb of God.

This is why John the Baptist said of Jesus, "Look, here is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world." He understood that the blood that was shed for sins was only a shadow of a greater sacrifice to come. This greater, perfect sacrifice would do what all the others could not...reach from creation to redemption and wipe away the sins of those who trusted in Jesus Christ.

This is the purpose for all of history. Every story in the Bible is laying the background so that we better understand who Jesus was and why He came to die. Yes, there are tales of morality, godly leadership and family that are found in the scripture...but those are secondary purposes. The greater purpose of God's Word is Jesus. He is the context of everything the Bible declares...from Genesis to Revelation.